The Choice
by Schmidge
Summary: Just a little something that came into my head. Set during the season 3 finale, what would happen if Elena had made a different choice.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. This is just an idea that came to my mind. I always thought that Elena should have chosen to go to Damon instead of back home to Stefan. Starts in Matt's truck after he hangs up with Jeremy.**

**I don't own anything.**

**Prologue **

"_We have to go back. Listen to me Matt if Klaus is the one who turned their bloodline then they're all gonna die." Elena said her voice wavering slightly. "We have to go back Matt!" she yells._

"_Elena," Matt starts._

"_What?"_

"_Damon's not with them."_

"_What?"_

"_He's a hundred miles out of town. I can keep driving to him or I can turn around and go back to Stefan. It's your choice," Matt tells her._

Elena pulls out her phone and stares at it a moment before she realizes what she has to do. The answer was right in front of her the whole time, she just couldn't admit it until now. She pushes the send button and waits for the person on the other end to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Elena breathes out trying to steal herself for this conversation that has been a long time coming. "How do you feel?"

"Ok so far, where are you?"

Elena pauses because she knows the answer will break his heart, but she has to be honest with him.

"I told Matt to keep driving," she starts. "Stefan, I do love you. You came into my life at a time when I needed someone and I fell for you instantly, and I know that the reason you left was to save Damon, but while you were gone something happened between me and Damon, and I can't deny that anymore. I will always love you Stefan, but I'm not in love with you, I'm in love with him, and if I'm going to lose you both I can't let him die not knowing that."

"It's ok Elena," Stefan said his voice quiet. "I understand, tell my brother it's ok and I don't hate him, say goodbye for me and let him know that I love him. I love you Elena," Stefan finishes his voice breaking.

"I love you too Stefan," Elena 's voice is shaking as she tries to say goodbye to her friend. "There's still a chance Klaus was lying, and I'll see you again when I get home."

"Yeah, there's a chance. Goodbye Elena."

"Goodbye Stefan."

Elena hangs up her phone and stares out the window. They drive in silence until they finally reach the storage facility. Elena turns to Matt.

"Thanks for the ride Matt," she starts. "I'll be ok from here."

"You're welcome Elena."

Elena slides over and gives him a hug and then opens the door and steps out of the truck. She closes the door and walks to the storage facility as Matt reverses the truck and pulls out slowly.

As Elena enters the facility she hears noise coming from the back, she makes her way back there quickly, and as she rounds the corner what she sees makes her heart stop, Damon his on the ground and Alaric is on top of him about to drive a stake through his heart. Elena doesn't think, she just reacts, lunging at Alaric. Alaric quickly fends of the attack without thinking and sends Elena flying into the crates along the wall. Elena lands on her head and neck and Damon hears the distinctive snap. He looks up and watches as Alaric's face turns grey and veined above him and he shoves his limp body off of him, hurrying over to Elena.

Damon gathers Elena in his arms and bites his wrist putting it to her lips and trying to get his blood inside even though he knows it's useless.

"No, no, you can't be dead," Damon says his voice shaking, tears spilling out of his blue eyes and down his cheeks. "No, Elena. Elena you can't be dead. I love you Elena."

Damon slides his back up against the crate and holds Elena to his chest waiting for death to claim him while silent tears slide down his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Damon doesn't know how long he has been sitting there in the storage facility with the woman he loves lying dead in his arms. He wishes he would just hurry up and die already, because every second in a world without Elena is just pure and utter pain. He thinks that maybe he should just stake himself and end the pain but she would hate him for that, and even though she is gone he still cares what she thinks.

All of a sudden Elena shoots up in his arms gasping breath.

"Elena," Damon stutters out shocked before he grabs her and pulls her back into his chest, holding her close and pressing a long kiss into her hair breathing in the scent of her, his entire body shaking, trying to get more words to come out. "How, you were already dead when I tried to give you my blood, how did you come back?"

Elena turns in his arms and looks up into his eyes, still trying to sort everything out in her mind. Was this really happening? She remembered flying at Alaric when he was about to stake Damon, and then flying through the air and feeling the snap of her neck as she landed and everything going black. She knew she was in transition; she had to be because a hunger like she had never felt before was coursing through her but how?

"The hospital," she said out loud. "When Jeremy took me to the hospital, Meredith must have given me your blood. Oh my God, how long was I out? How are you feeling are there any symptoms? How could I have turned if your blood was from Klaus' bloodline?"

Damon is still too shocked to speak, staring down into Elena's face. She was in transition because she had been given his blood, and he was still alive, maybe Klaus really was lying. He suddenly felt terrible, she never wanted this and it was his blood that turned her, it was him that she died trying to save, and here she was in his arms staring up at him her eyes full of love, but it couldn't love because Elena loved Stefan. It would always be Stefan, she had told him once, but then what was she doing here? Why had she come to him?

"Elena," Damon started, not sure how to ask what he had to ask.

"I chose you, Damon," Elena said as if reading his mind so he didn't have to ask. "I'm in love with you Damon."

Damon's mouth crashes down on top of hers, his blunt teeth lightly biting her lips and then soothing it with his tongue. Elena's mouth opens to grant him access, their tongues meeting and swirling together fighting for dominance. Elena's arms wrap tighter around Damon's neck pulling him as close as she can get him as his hands weave through her hair.

"I'm so sorry Elena," he breathes against her mouth. "You never wanted to be a vampire, and…"

"It's ok Damon," Elena cuts him off pulling back. "It'll be ok."

"I'll help you to control it, to be the kind of vampire you want, you won't have to kill anybody," Damon says looking into her eyes. "I'll never leave you, I promise. I love you and I will be here for you until the end of time, and if things ever get so bad to where you want to flip your switch I'll be there to pull you back from the edge. I love you Elena."

"I love you too, Damon, forever."

Their lips meet again in a tender kiss full of love and promise, because they know that they can get through anything as long as they have each other.


End file.
